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Why I Turned Down AAJ's Invitation to Speak at their 2016 Marketing and Practice Building Conference

Recently I was invited to participate in The American Association for Justice'sMarketing and Management Seminar, which will be held on May 23-24, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. This will be a day and a half program that will cover a variety of marketing tips and strategies, as well as breakout sessions to run concurrently with the general session.

They wanted me to be the lead-off speaker on "Developing a Marketing Plan" and then, at the end of the event, to speak about "Putting the Finishing Touches on your Marketing Plan. "

I'm sure it will be a good seminar and while it would be cool to again be on AAJ's national stage (I spoke at their first "Marketing and Practice Buildling " seminar" two years ago), I turned them down.

Quickly.

Why?

My number one priority in life is to secure the financial and emotional security of my family. Thus, taking two days (plus at least one more day for travel) out of my life, for free (plus pay your own expenses) makes no sense to my personal "why."

There is no good way to create a respecable return on my investment of my time (ROIT) with that speaking engagement. I'd probably give up at least 2 "kid" events in addition to whatever I could be working on one of my cases. With Great Legal Marketing doing for of its own events this year (all local, Ben doesn't travel anymore to speak at seminars, even his own), my time for 2016 is pretty well already scripted out for the year anyway.

As I said, I'm sure it will be a fun seminar and, had it been local, I would have seriously considered the invite. But its not and so I didn't.

Knowing your "why" makes decision-making easy. If you don't have a well-defined "why" then carve out some time and figure out what it is. I can just about guarantee that if you don't know what it is, and thus have no filter for use of your time, others will glady use your time for themselves.

Highly successful people guard their time, their only irreplaceable asset, like it was gold.